NPR News 2011-12-27 加文本

NPR News 2011-12-27

From NPR News in Washington, I'm Barbara Klein.

An Arab League observer group arrives in Syria today as the government continues a violent crackdown against dissenters. Activists say 13 people were killed in Homs today. The BBC's Jim Muir reports videos showed desperate and outraged residents there pleading for the world to notice.

Graphic video posted on the Internet purported to show the aftermath of heavy shelling of the streets in the Baba Amr district of Homs. It showed the limp and bleeding corpses of four young men sprawled on the pavement surrounded by wrecked cars and the rubble of buildings apparently damaged by shellfire. As women screamed in horror, a man shouted, "Where are you, the Arabs? Where is the international community?"

The BBC's Jim Muir.

The Obama administration is considering whether to allow Yemen's outgoing president into the United States. Ali Abdullah Saleh, who's stepping down after ordering a bloody crackdown on anti-government protesters, is seeking specialized medical care in the US for injuries he sustained during an assassination attempt in June. A US government official says Saleh would only be allowed into the country for legitimate medical treatment.

Pope Benedict condemning yesterday's coordinated bombings in Nigeria that have left as many as 40 people dead. Two of them struck packed churches. The radical Islamist group Boko Haram claims responsibility.

New York City's Tourism Bureau says it attracted 50 million visitors this year. The city expected it would take a few more years to meet that goal. And as NPR's Margot Adler reports from New York, the accomplishment means more revenue for the city.

According to NYC & Company, the city's official tourism arm, data from hotels and airlines show international visitors up 4% and domestic visitors up almost 3%. Visitors spend more in New York City, they say, than anywhere else in the nation - 32 billion dollars, and they support more than 300,000 city jobs. Officials have already chosen a couple from Litchfield, England, who got married at the top of Rockefeller Center to be the milestone tourists. They will receive loads of prizes. Mayor Michael Bloomberg has said it all means more guests in our hotels, more shoppers in our stores, but no rest for the weary. Orlando claims it will have 53 million tourists this year. Margot Adler, NPR News, New York.

Retailers across the country are hoping to boost holiday sales on this day after Christmas. And many are still offering discounts and other incentives, and they seem to work for shoppers like Malissa Ward.

“I usually shop the last or the day after Christmas because that's when I can get all the bargains and a lot of things I get, I can save for next year.”

Main chains are also hoping consumers redeem millions of gift cards this week and while their addicts spend more cash of their own while they are at the store.

This is NPR News.                        

The Mexican government says soldiers have arrested Felipe Cabrera. He’s suspected of being a senior aide to the country's most wanted drug trafficker, Joaquin Guzman. The Mexican Defense Ministry says Cabrera was in charge of the cartel's operations in an area through which many drugs are smuggled into the US. He’s also accused of a range of violent crimes.

The state of Georgia is looking for ways to expand its water supply. It's still battling Alabama and Florida in court over water rights. But NPR's Kathy Lohr reports Georgia officials are also hoping to uncover new sources of water in the coming year.

A Georgia task force is seeking 300 million dollars in state funds to help build new reservoirs open in active wells or drill for new ones. The program which could provide low-interest loans comes after a long legal battle with Georgia on one side and Alabama and Florida on the other. That field is focused on Lake Lanier, which provides drinking water for about three million Atlanta residents. One court decision would have limited access to the lake, but an appeals court overturned the ruling. Still, Georgia's governor says his state should find ways to expand its water supply. But critics say officials should focus on conservation and on making reservoirs more efficient before spending money to build new ones. Kathy Lohr, NPR News, Atlanta.

With Iowa's caucuses a week from tomorrow, some Republican candidates are ramping up their campaigns in the state. Mitt Romney and Newt Gingrich are releasing new TV ads targeting each other's conservative qualifications, and they along with Michael Backman and Rick Perry will be taking to the road on bus tours through the state.

I'm Barbara Klein, NPR News, in Washington.